Washington, DC— Nevada Senator Harry Reid entered the following statement into the Congressional Record today regarding the conflict in Afghanistan and the Feingold amendment:

“President Obama has articulated a sound strategy for surging our force in Afghanistan, a well-defined mission to enable them to succeed, and a clear plan to begin to bring those troops home starting next July. His plan honors the service of the 100 Nevadans in Afghanistan today and those of every American fighting terrorists abroad to keep us safer at home.

“I have always believed that our commitment in Afghanistan should not be open-ended, which is why I continue to support the President’s plan. We have begun to reverse the Taliban’s momentum in Afghanistan and weakened al Qaeda’s operations, safe havens and leadership in the region. Our troops will continue to defeat those terrorist networks and others like it and we will continue to press the Afghan government to end corruption and take responsibility for governing the country. But, as the President’s plan makes clear, these troops have a clear task in place: to reverse the Taliban’s momentum and to begin returning home next July.

“In light of the President’s strategy and the recent progress, now is not the time to change course.”